operation, israel is continuing its bombardment. the thunderous explosions could be heard overnight. israeli forces to stop a rocket attack from gaza into the southern cities of israel. and as often, as you said, with these violent conflicts, it is the civilians who bear the brunt of the attacks. both the israelis and the palestinians have suffered. just to give you a sense of the expanse of this conflict, according to the israeli defense forces, during the last five days, 546 rockets were fired from gaza into israel. and 302 were intercepted by the iron dome defense missile system. so what we're seeing is a case of attacks from one side and then counterattack from the other, with neither one seemingly backing backing down. don't forget, there are tens of thousands of israeli troops and tanks that have come to the gaza border ready for ground offenses. the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu yesterday saying they're prepared for a significant expansion of the operation if hamas does not stop firing rockets into israel. rob and